Got Tradition? As I do every year, I’m looking for deer hunters, deer hunting families, deer hunting friends, deer hunting camps and the like with stories of deer hunting tradition to tell. A tradition can extend back over generations of a family or a camp. A tradition also can be something from last deer hunting season that you plan to repeat this year for one reason or another. Readers of The Patriot-News and PennLive.com have enjoyed sharing their deer hunting stories for generations. Is it your turn this year? To share your tradition, or just a good deer hunting tale, contact me at mschneck@comcast.net. You can include your story in the email or just send me a note, “Call me” with your name and phone number. Sharing stories about deer hunting traditions is itself a deer hunting tradition. Get in on the heritage this year.

Road Hunting to the Max. Washington County Wildlife Conservation Officer Dan Sitler has filed charges against a hunter who “decided to stop his truck in the middle of the road he was traveling on. He then exited the truck and left the door open and shot at a pheasant while standing on the road. The pheasant was farther down the same road at a bend, making this not only unethical, but potentially very dangerous.” The hunter took the shot seconds before Sitler and a deputy wildlife conservation officer rounded the bend in their vehicle.

Window-Crashing Deer. Heraldchronicle.com in Winchester, Tenn., reported, “Farm Service program technician Rhonda Scharer is used to dealing with the public, but Wednesday morning proved to be a little more than she bargained for when a deer seemingly came from nowhere and broke through a main window and tore up the agency’s 200 S. Jefferson St. office. The deer, a doe, raced through Scharer’s office, just after 9:30 a.m., then went into farm loan officer Tim Storey’s office. In a four-minute rampage, the deer, which had been cut up from the window’s broken glass, then jumped over a counter and went into the U.S. Post Office where it bumped into the front door section before building superintendent Eddie Hardin could wrestle it to the floor. Hardin said he dragged the deer outside, but it managed to get up and flee toward the downtown area before Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency personnel could arrive at the scene to remove the animal to a safe area.” Read more of the story.

Persistent Bear. A beehive owner in Luzerne County shot and killed a bear that was repeatedly causing damage to his hives, according Wildlife Conservation Officer Gerald Kapral. The hive owner complained about the bear in the past, and a trap was set for two weeks with no capture. The bear returned, broke through the electric fence that protected the hives, and proceeded to upset the hives and eat the bees. The owner chased the bear off, but it returned a short time later and went right back to the hives. The owner had enough and shot the bear with a .308 rifle. The owner immediately reported the incident to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, and because of the damage and history of the bear, no charges were filed. Kapral said he had problems in the area with a bear killing rabbits, chickens and ducks, and hopes that this puts the problem to rest. He also noted that the bear weighed more than 300 pounds, and that it was trapped a few towns away last year, at which time it weighed 125 pounds.

Outdoor Newsletter. Outdoor writer Marcus Schneck also offers a free, weekly, email newsletter covering even more outdoor, nature and travel topics, and providing links to many little known websites as well as contests. To receive the newsletter, send your email address, name, hometown and phone number to Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com. If you sent you information previously, you do not need to send it again. You will receive the newsletter soon.